In a flash, it was already dark.
Konoha Camp.
"You're here, Ren."
Minato Namikaze, leaning against the doorpost, opened his eyes and looked at Ren, who had approached.
"Uh, sorry, Big Brother Minato, I almost arrived late."
Ren said apologetically. Although there were still a few minutes until the meeting time, Ren, being the last one to arrive, still felt a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine, there are still five minutes until the meeting time."
Minato shook his head, his gaze turning to the figure hidden in the darkness, and said softly.
"Then let's go, Senior Shibi."
"Mm."
After getting ready, the three entered the night jungle. The visible and hidden sentries along the way paid no mind to the three rushing figures, as one was Lord Jiraiya's disciple, another was the head of the Aburame Clan, and with a young boy, they were most likely going to carry out some mission.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of over a dozen patrol teams, the three-person night raid team successfully reached the border. Beyond this point was Iwagakure's patrol range.
"Our target tonight is the Iwagakure Camp."
Minato said in a low voice. After speaking, he pulled out a map from his Arms. The three gathered around as he opened it.
"It's 9 PM now. At 9:30 PM, this spot here is the weakest point in Iwagakure's patrol network. Iwagakure changes shifts every ten minutes, meaning we only have ten minutes to pass through the patrol network. Let's go, be careful with your concealment."
Minato Namikaze put away the map, and the three of them lay prone at the target point, beginning the tedious wait.
Suddenly, Minato Namikaze slightly tilted his head and mouthed words to the other two.
They're here!
...
"Teacher, do we really need to be this serious? How could those cowards from Konoha possibly run around our position in the middle of the night? When can we go back to sleep?"
Ryō Nishikido squatted on a tree trunk, retracting his patrolling gaze, and complained to his captain.
"Shut up! We're at war right now. Put away your arrogance and pride. Konoha could send people to raid us at any time. All we can do right now is do our job and not give those Konoha bastards any opportunity!"
A slender Iwagakure Jonin coldly rebuked his student. He undoubtedly liked these few disciples of his; their talent and strength were good. If nothing unexpected happened, they should all be able to become Special Jonin or even Jonin in the future.
However, for these unseasoned youths, their extraordinary talent brought not only strength but also an immature mindset.
Killing two bandits made them feel like true Ninjass, strutting around the Village every day, bullying the weak. There was even one time when Lord Kitsuchi saw it, and he, the instructing Jonin, was scolded mercilessly. Since then, he couldn't lift his head in the Jonin circle for a year.
Fortunately, these brats all advanced to Chunin in the Chunin Exams with top five rankings, which allowed him to regain some face among everyone.
Who knew these troublesome kids would turn into this on the battlefield? If this continued, their team wouldn't be far from being wiped out.
"Yes, yes, we know. X2"
Hiroshi Nagasawa and Hisashi Suzuki, who were nearby, responded impatiently, and the three continued their half-hearted patrolling. Their team leader, Karasawa Sora, could only shake his head and sigh helplessly.
"Hmm? What was that?"
Just then, Karasawa Sora's eyes sharpened instantly, and he turned to look at the dark jungle.
At that moment, a toad hopped out of the darkness, its up-and-down movements and friction with the wild grass making a sound. The toad ignored them, turned around, and hopped back into the dark jungle.
"Phew, Teacher, it's just a toad. Don't make a fuss."
After the youths reacted, they began to complain to Karasawa Sora, whose eyes showed a hint of doubt. Did I really see wrong?
...
In the grass a hundred meters behind the few people, a strangely shaped Kunai lay tightly.
Suddenly, a spatial fluctuation, imperceptible to ordinary people, appeared near the Kunai. Immediately after, three people appeared out of thin air, and after a moment of weightlessness in mid-air, they reacted and landed one after another.
Minato Namikaze looked up, his eyebrows narrowed, and he chuckled softly.
"Infiltration successful."
..."Ugh!"
Minato Namikaze's expression stiffened, and he turned to look, only to see Ren leaning against a tree trunk, dry heaving, his face pale.
Shibi Aburame, next to him, was not much better; a drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his face was also somewhat pale.
"Uh, are you two alright?"
Minato Namikaze lowered his voice, speaking awkwardly and softly.
"Big Brother Minato, your Flying Thunder God has too much recoil. Give me a minute to buffer."
After Ren finished speaking, he turned his head back to dry heave against the tree trunk.
Minato Namikaze could only stand behind, stroking his blond hair and laughing awkwardly.
Flying Thunder God was, after all, a space-time Ninjutsu. Beginners couldn't adapt to the dizzying sensation and would be nauseous for a period in the early stages, but they would get used to it later. He had momentarily forgotten that it was both their first time experiencing Flying Thunder God teleportation.
"Alright, let's go, Big Brother Minato."
A minute later, Ren turned around. Although still a bit dizzy, it no longer affected his normal movement.
"Okay."
Minato Namikaze nodded, and the three began to move through the forest. Compared to the first defensive line, the subsequent lines were much stricter, but fortunately, all three were experts in stealth. Neither their sensory abilities nor their mobility could be detected by these amateur patrols.
Although some high-level sensory Ninja vaguely sensed their presence, they managed to pass without incident.
An hour later, the three squatted in waist-high bushes. Scattered Kikai Bugs flew in the air near them, and not far away was the dark Iwagakure Camp.
"The Kikai Bugs tell me that the visible and hidden sentries here are the fewest, but the traps are the most numerous. Be careful not to trigger the alarm."
This was the longest sentence Ren had heard Shibi Aburame say during this time, and Ren couldn't help but marvel, as expected, they were professionals. He himself could at most sense some enemies lurking in the dark, but they could even clearly identify how many traps there were. Truly worthy of the Aburame Clan.
Indeed, never challenge someone's profession with your hobby.
"Is that so..."
Minato Namikaze pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice.
"Let's infiltrate first. We'll do something big."
"Hehehe."
Ren's eyes lit up, and he looked at Minato with a mischievous smile. He didn't expect this stern-faced "Fourth Hokage" to play like this.
Damn it, I, the "Fifth Hokage," really like this.
Minato Namikaze also showed a mischievous smile on his face. Shibi Aburame, feeling a bad premonition, looked at the two in front of him, a drop of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
They wouldn't mess around, would they... they should... right?